Analysis of the efficacy of glucocorticoid treatment in advanced thymoma / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of moderate-dose glucocorticoid treatment in patients with advanced thymoma.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 56 patients with thymoma who received glucocorticoid treatment at Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2018 to March 2023. Among them, there were 33 males and 23 females; aged from 28 to 72 years old, with a median age of(43.8±11.2)years old. There were 16 cases of type B1 thymoma, 23 cases of type B2, and 17 cases of type B3. There were 17 cases with myasthenia gravis and 1 case with pure red blood cell aplasia. All patients had received radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Patients received moderate-dose glucocorticoid treatment(50 mg/day), and tumor response was evaluated by CT scan after 2 weeks of treatment. The tumor treatment effect and adverse reactions were recorded.Results:Among the patients, 22 cases achieved partial remission, and 3 cases achieved complete remission, resulting in an overall objective response rate (ORR) of 44.6%. Among them, 23 patients had type B2 thymoma, with 17 achieving partial remission and 3 achieving complete remission, resulting in an ORR of 87.0%. Among the 16 patients with type B1 thymoma, 5 achieved partial remission. No efficacy was observed in 17 patients with type B3 thymoma. The follow-up period ranged from 2 to 26 months, and 2 patients experienced thymoma recurrence.Conclusion:Moderate-dose glucocorticoid treatment demonstrates effective and safe outcomes in advanced or invasive thymoma, particularly for the treatment of type B2 thymoma.